元凶 (yuán xiōng) — chief culprit, ringleader, arch-criminal

Definition

Means the main person responsible for a crime or disaster — 'the one truly behind it.' Stronger than 凶手 (any killer): 元凶 implies the mastermind or top culprit, not just a participant.

noun

chief culpritringleaderarch-criminal

Measure word · 个

Examples

元凶。
Jǐng fāng yǐ jīng zhuā huò le zhè qǐ àn jiàn de yuán xiōng.
The police have captured the chief culprit of this case.
，元凶。
Diào chá xiǎn shì, tā cái shì shì gù de zhēn zhèng yuán xiōng.
The investigation shows that he is the real ringleader of the accident.
元凶。
Zhè ge fàn zuì jí tuán de yuán xiōng zhōng yú bèi shéng zhī yǐ fǎ.
The arch-criminal of this criminal gang was finally brought to justice.